Sweeper brush



May 26, 1942.

yv. A. MALMQUIST 2,284,528

SWEEPERBRUSH Filed Feb. 10. 1941 N 9-t 3 6 Q L INVENTOR MZJZZEA.A4ZIAIW1JT BY Wxk Patented May 26, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of brushes and more particularly a type of brush adapted for heavy duty use, such asfor street sweeping, cleaning factory, stable, garage floors, etc. A characteristic feature of my new brush is that it has a squeegee action which enhances its utility on wet surfaces. Furthermore it is substantially unaffected in its action by water, oil, mud, grease, tar or other deleterious substances which render ordinary brushes useless.

The preferable form in which my invention may be embodied is that of a brush or sweeping unit adapted for detachable mounting in a suitable holder, whether for use in a hand sweeper or in a power machine, in other words a refill unit of inexpensive construction adapted for quick replacement when worn out from use.

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is an aggregate view of the several parts prepared for assembly into a hand sweeper and in which my invention may be incorporated;

Figs. 2 and 2A show respectively front and edge views of one of the wood leaves of the brush; and

Figs. 3 and 3A show respectively front and edge views of one of the separator strips.

As shown in Fig. l, the refill brush unit indicated generally at I is made up of a plurality of superposed thin sheets of wood, the individual sheets being indicated at 2. These wood sheets are bound together at their upper edge portions somewhat like the leaves of a book with the distinction that between certain of the wood leaves (viz. between each pair of leaves or between groups of two or three leaves) there is placed a. separator strip 3 (see Fig. 3). In this manner the upper margins of said wood sheets will be closely bound together upon their interposed separator strips, while the lower free portions of the sheets may flare out slightly as shown in the drawing (Fig. 1).

Any suitable means may be employed to bind and secure the upper marginal portions of said sheets 2 together upon the interposed separator ab in Fig. 2 will be about 16 to 18 inches. The height or top to bottom dimension C-d in Fig. 2 will be about 7 inches and the thickness or dimension e--f in Fig. 1 will vary about /2 inch at the top to about 1 inch at the bottom.

A suitable holder within which the refill brush unit I may be mounted for use as a hand sweeper may comprise a back piece I!) from which extends a handle I l and a front piece l2, said pieces ill and [2 being drilled with suitable holes to line up with the hollow rivets 8 and 9 in the refill unit whereby clamping bolts l3 and i4 and thumb nuts 15 and I6 may be employed to hold the parts firmly together. It should be understood however, that my invention resides mainly in the construction of the refill or brush unit I, which as before stated, may be mounted in various other ways for different kinds of use, such for instance as in a rotary power sweeper, or as a hone brush in a float for dressing roads.

The characteristics of the wood sheet or leaf 2 for making up the brush unit I will be best understood by reference to the manner of obtaining the same. In the manufacture of wood bobbins for the textile trade woo-den billets are cut of proper length, (viz. about 10 inches long,) from a log and carefully selected for having a substantially straight grain lengthwise thereof, said grain being wholly retained in the billet from one end to the other thereof. Rock maple is the kind of wood at present largely used for this purpose but the invention herein is not confined to the use of any particular wood. Such a billet is then mounted on centers of a wood turning lathe and is shaved down by a broad knife into the round form of the finished bobbin. It should be understood that in this shaving down or cutting operation the edge of the broad knife is disposed parallel with the axis of the billet or grain in the wood. Consequently the shaving cut off by the knife in this operation will be a thin continuous sheet or ribbon of wood about 3% of an inch thick, about 9 inches wide, (depending on the knife width) and perhaps several feet in length. Obviously the manner of its production will insure that this long ribbon-like sheet of wood will have its full length of grain wholly retained therein and running straight across its narrow width from one long edge to the other, or in terms of the brush for which it is to be used, the grain in each sheet will run from top to bottom. These thin sheets of wood or shavings are cut into the desired lengths, superposed upon one another, with interposed separator strips as previously described, fastened together at their upper edge portions, and finally trimmed to size to form my improved brush or refill unit. When the superposed sheets are bound together into a single unit the lower edges thereof may be rubbed by any suitable implement to start short vertical splits therein at random indicated at IT, Fig. 1 of the drawing. Also if desired the wood may be impregnated with a preservative or coloring stain.

It is not always necessary to give any particular attention to the formation of the splits at the lower edge of the leaves since these will occur naturally from the use of the brush. Inasmuch as the grain of each sheet is substantially straight from top to bottom thereof the wood sheets while subject to splitting lengthwise will not break off and the formation of the several split portions of the sheet will produce the type of brushing surface desired.

It has been found that a brush unit formed as above described will be unusually tough in service and of extremely lon life as compared with ordinary brushes now in use. ts durability and utility will be greatly increased, especially for wet service such as in jute mills, by dipping the wood leaves of the brush in a plastic or rubber compound which will permeate or impregnate the wood and render it more waterproof.

For refill purposes the hollow rivets 8, 9 in the brush unit i should always remain the same distance apart during storage or when disassembled from the holder. Therefore it is important to prevent warping of the wood leaves when bound and fastened together at their upper edges. To

this end the separator strips 3 are of substantial size and strength and should extend from the upper edges of said leaves down beyond the rivet holes 4, 5, 6, I, and also to the full length of said leaves. In other Words the upper edges of the separator strips coincide with the upper edges of the leaves and cover a substantial area downwardly therefrom and around the spaced apart rivet holes. These separator strips should be selected of a wood having a small tendency to warp (viz. spruce or pine), and they should be cut with the grain running the long way of the strips. This will insure that the grain of the separator strips will be running transversely of the grain in the wood leaves and thus tend to counteract any warping tendency of the latter.

Typical dimensions for a suitable separator strip would be as shown in Figs. 3 and 3A wherein the width gh will be about 1%," to 2", the length 7'k the same as the dimension ab in Fig. 2, viz. 16 to 18', and the thickness t in Fig. 3A about 1 5-". the wood grain in the separator strip 3 runs in the direction -1c of Fig. 3 while the grain in the wood leaves runs in the direction cd of Fig. 2.

What I claim is:

A sweeper brush comprising generally rectangular, relatively thin sheets of wood, each formed from a sheet cut circumferentially from the surface of a billet of wood, groups of said sheets being bound together directly along one of their adjacent marginal edges to form packets having a plurality of brushing leaves, the binding holding the layers of sheets in one group superposed directly one upon the other, and in substantially flattened form, with the grain of the wood running straight from the binding at the top to the free edges at the bottom, separator Wood strips interposed between said groups of leaves adjacent the upper bound edges thereof, and a pair of clamping strips secured to said sheets adjacent the bound edges thereof,

WALTER A MALMQUIST It will be understood that 

